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Objective: Athletic involvement is linked to increased risk for heavy alcohol use among college students. We examined whether student-athletes from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds differ with respect to heavy drinking and related consequences. Method: Participants were 15,135 student-athlete drinkers (50.7% female) from 170 NCAA member institutions who participated in an online study. Results: Findings from our hierarchical linear models indicated that being a male student-athlete was associated with an increased likelihood of high intensity drinking (10/8 + drinks/per sitting for males/females) for White, Asian American/Pacific Islander, and Black student-athletes, but not for Hispanic student-athletes. Additionally, being a female student-athlete was associated with higher levels of negative alcohol-related consequences across all racial/ethnic groups. Finally, at similar drink quantities, compared to being a White student-athlete, being an Asian American/Pacific Islander student-athlete was associated with higher levels of alcohol-related consequences. Conclusions: Student-athlete drinkers are not homogeneous with respect to heavy drinking and related consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The role of simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use in the experience of blackouts among college students is unclear. To clarify discrepancies, the current study evaluated whether the association between SAM user status and blackouts was moderated by high-intensity drinking (HID). Participants and Methods: College students (N = 1,224; 63.7% female) reported on their past year experiences of blackout, marijuana use, SAM use, and HID (i.e., drinking at least twice the binge threshold). Results: SAM users had more past year blackouts than non-SAM users, but this effect was only significant among SAM users who had engaged in HID in the past year (nonbinge: F(5,37) = 0.50, p = 0.49; binge: F(5,138) = 0.23, p = 0.63; HID: F(5,328) = 4.52, p = 0.03). Conclusions: Effects of SAM user status on the experience of alcohol-related blackouts may be limited to individuals who engage in HID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol screening is one of the most cost-effective clinical preventive services and important for intervening in the development of alcohol problems. We examine predictors of the quality of alcohol screening, approximated by alcohol quantity screening, which is a prerequisite for appropriate counseling, and compare conventional regression approach with Classification and Regression Trees (CART). Data come from the 2020 National Alcohol Survey, a population survey of US adults aged 18 years and over. Analyses focus on those reporting any alcohol screening at all (N = 989). The primary outcome was whether a healthcare profession had ever asked how much they drink, which is necessary to identify heavy drinking. We examined 12 potential predictors of alcohol quantity: gender, age, race and ethnicity, education, marital status, having a usual source of primary care, insurance, and health conditions. Analyses were replicated in heavy episodic drinking (HED) and high intensity drinking (HID) subgroups, both warranting alcohol counseling. Logistic regression results show that having diabetes and not having a college degree predict missed alcohol quantity screening in the sample overall, and younger age predicts missed alcohol quantity screening in the HED/HID subgroups. CART identified Black and Hispanic respondents who had not attended college at high risk of missed screening for heavy drinking in the overall sample, and those with public insurance at high risk of missed screening for heavy drinking in the HED/HID subgroups. The quality of alcohol screening needs improvement in general, and to avoid unintended disparities in alcohol-related health services.

Abstract Objective: Despite declines in Australian alcohol consumption, youth alcohol related harms remain prevalent. These alcohol‐related consequences appear to be driven by a subset of risky drinkers who engage in ‘high intensity’ drinking episodes and are underrepresented in national health surveys. This project aims to investigate high risk drinking practices and alcohol‐related harms amongst young people not otherwise recorded in existing data. Methods: A community sample of the heaviest drinking 20–25% 16–19 year olds were surveyed across three Australian states (n=958; 80% metropolitan). We examined the context of their last risky drinking session through online and face‐to‐face surveys. Results: Males consumed a mean of 17 and females 14 standard drinks, and 86% experienced at least one alcohol‐related consequence during this session. More than a quarter of the face‐to‐face sample had Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores indicative of alcohol dependence. Indications of dependence were 2.3 times more likely among those who felt uncomfortable about seeking alcohol treatment, and less likely if harm reduction strategies were frequently used while drinking. Conclusions: It is clear this underrepresented population experiences substantial acute and potentially chronic consequences. Implications: Within the context of increasing alcohol‐related harms among young Australians, the understanding of this group's drinking habits should be prioritised.

Alcohol screening is one of the most cost-effective clinical preventive services and important for intervening in the development of alcohol problems. We examine predictors of the quality of alcohol screening, approximated by alcohol quantity screening, which is a prerequisite for appropriate counseling, and compare conventional regression approach with Classification and Regression Trees (CART). Data come from the 2020 National Alcohol Survey, a population survey of US adults aged 18 years and over. Analyses focus on those reporting any alcohol screening at all (N = 989). The primary outcome was whether a healthcare profession had ever asked how much they drink, which is necessary to identify heavy drinking. We examined 12 potential predictors of alcohol quantity: gender, age, race and ethnicity, education, marital status, having a usual source of primary care, insurance, and health conditions. Analyses were replicated in heavy episodic drinking (HED) and high intensity drinking (HID) subgroups, both warranting alcohol counseling. Logistic regression results show that having diabetes and not having a college degree predict missed alcohol quantity screening in the sample overall, and younger age predicts missed alcohol quantity screening in the HED/HID subgroups. CART identified Black and Hispanic respondents who had not attended college at high risk of missed screening for heavy drinking in the overall sample, and those with public insurance at high risk of missed screening for heavy drinking in the HED/HID subgroups. The quality of alcohol screening needs improvement in general, and to avoid unintended disparities in alcohol-related health services., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Background: Whether alcohol use intensity on a given day is linked with nicotine or marijuana use that same day is not well known, nor are links of drinking intensity with different modes of nicotine and marijuana use. This study examined these within-person links across 14 days in a national sample of young adults (YAs).Methods: Past 30-day drinkers participating in the U.S. nationally representative Monitoring the Future study of 12th graders in 2018, who also reported alcohol use during a 14-day data collection one year later in the Young Adult Daily Life Study in 2019, were included (N = 487). Weighted multilevel modeling estimated within- and between-person associations of drinking intensity with cigarette smoking, nicotine vaping, marijuana smoking, and marijuana vaping.Results: Within-person fluctuations in drinking intensity on a given day were associated with cigarette smoking, nicotine vaping, and marijuana smoking, but not marijuana vaping. There were significant between-person associations of means of drinking intensity and each outcome, except for cigarette smoking.Conclusion: Drinking intensity on a given day was associated with multiple modes of nicotine use and marijuana smoking that day. Nicotine and marijuana use remain critical areas of concern for public health, and future research and interventions should consider the comorbidity of drinking intensity and multiple modes of nicotine and marijuana use. Focusing on the same-day use of alcohol may provide a tailored avenue for preventing and reducing nicotine and marijuana emerging trends among YAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Despite declines in Australian alcohol consumption, youth alcohol related harms remain prevalent. These alcohol-related consequences appear to be driven by a subset of risky drinkers who engage in 'high intensity' drinking episodes and are underrepresented in national health surveys. This project aims to investigate high risk drinking practices and alcohol-related harms amongst young people not otherwise recorded in existing data., Methods: A community sample of the heaviest drinking 20-25% 16-19 year olds were surveyed across three Australian states (n=958; 80% metropolitan). We examined the context of their last risky drinking session through online and face-to-face surveys., Results: Males consumed a mean of 17 and females 14 standard drinks, and 86% experienced at least one alcohol-related consequence during this session. More than a quarter of the face-to-face sample had Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores indicative of alcohol dependence. Indications of dependence were 2.3 times more likely among those who felt uncomfortable about seeking alcohol treatment, and less likely if harm reduction strategies were frequently used while drinking., Conclusions: It is clear this underrepresented population experiences substantial acute and potentially chronic consequences., Implications: Within the context of increasing alcohol-related harms among young Australians, the understanding of this group's drinking habits should be prioritised., (© 2016 The Authors.)